Joining the 2009 International Year of Astronomy's Cosmic Diary project, this blog transcribes 19th-century working journals kept by the Astronomer Royal and Chief Assistant of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. Transcription and comments are provided by a 21st-century curator working on the same site.

Thursday, 19 February 2009

Monday February 19, 1894

Arranged with Simmons for defective parts of the Observatory fence to be made good. Wrote to Admiralty called attention to my letter of Jan. 5 asking for protection to the Obsy during the times when no Park keepers are available for patrol, especially from 4.15 to 5.30 p.m.

Christie was clearly concerned about the Observatory's security since the explosion on 15 February. If it was true that the park keepers were regularly unavailable at this time in the afternoon, it may suggest that Martial Bourdin had made his plans better than is usually believed.

*

The visit to St James's Theatre in Piccadilly was to see the depiction of a large equatorial telescope, based on the ROG's astrographic, in the set of a new play. See the entry for 29 January for more information.